Moirai
by xSpoonyx
Summary: Moirai means fate and it is her fate to die. Raiden has foreseen this and knows that it must come to pass in order for humanity to survive. Trying to escape this is futile. The only question is; will they tell her? Sub-zero/OC M for Lemons
1. Chapter 1

**I've been having a bit of writers block with my other story so I decided to try something new, and here it is.**

**This story is just that; a story. It doesn't follow everything perfectly so if you're expecting that, nows the time to press the back arrow. It is slightly A/U but only to tie everything in and to make sense.**

**Also Middlerealm was just an idea and if it so happens that there is one already in the games then whoops my bad, my mistake - but from what I know there isn't. Enjoy!**

**No Beta - any and all mistakes are my own.**

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Marina rolled onto her side keeping her eyes shut trying to get at least another hour of sleep in before having to get up. It was her day off and she hated waking early on those days though generally she was a champ at sleeping in.

Today however her mind apparently was having none of it as her consciousness constantly tried to break through the yolk of subconscious. With an irritated groan Marina sat up drawing her knees up and rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

Stretching her arms in front of her she finally opened her eyes squinting against the bright sunlight silently cursing her idiocy for leaving her curtains open. But opening them fully she was met with a sight that was not at all familiar.

Ahead of her was an expanse of green broken only by a spattering of trees or the odd burst of colour from wild flowers. The sky was a bright blue, wispy white clouds hung above as if a child had messily painted them there.

The first thing to hit her was panic. Pure and utter panic with confusion swiftly following on its heels. She craned her neck about looking for her familiar pale green walls, the gauzy white curtains she had purchased the month before from Target.

Scrambling to her feet she turned two full circles looking for something that struck a chord of memory somewhere. This had to be a joke. Someone had to of taken her out of her room and brought her to the middle of nowhere, for some reason she couldn't explain.

Her brother, it had to of been him - he had used his emergency key to her apartment and pulled this stunt, possibly for getting back at her for shaving his eyebrow that one time while he slept.

"Tony!" she yelled out continuing to move in her small circle desperate to see her sibling. "Tony this isn't funny!" there was no response, only a couple birds flying away from the noise she was making. "Antonio!"

Again no one responded and the panic rose from her gut and into her chest. She was going to have an anxiety attack, or a heart attack. Sure there were tons of parks in their part of town but none of this seemed familiar. Also this seemed slightly extreme for Tony.

Sitting down heavily she drew her knees up against her chest, wrapping her arms around them looking about her wide eyed. Maybe if she sat here and waited a bit he'd pop up from behind a tree, laugh it off and take her home. She silently pleaded with God for Tony to hurry and promised never to pull any pranks again and to go to church every Sunday from now on and not just for weddings, funerals and Christmas.

It must have been well over an hour by the time Marina's bum had gone numb and she had risen to her sock clad feet. She had looked around where she had woken up to see if maybe he had left her her phone but no luck.

She was tired of waiting and was growing impatient now with this stupid game. So she decided to start walking, she had no idea where she was going but it would serve Tony right if she got lost. He'd feel horrible and want to make it up to her and she would definitely take advantage of his guilt.

Gone were her earlier fears as she moved towards a thick grove of trees ahead. This seemed like the logical choice as all around her was open space and nothing else. With some trepidation she entered between the tall trunks, all of them stretching out to meet the sky and moved forward.

It was quiet and calm here, the trees not bunched too close together allowing the sun to filter through and to see further ahead. The sounds of nature surrounded her; birds sang to one another above her head, the odd snap and crunch in the distance from some small animal skittering by, the soft rustle of leaves as the breeze blew. It was peaceful and though she was unable to forget her anxiety altogether it certainly helped.

Another hour passed and she was beginning to feel irritation, she was sweaty, tired, didn't have shoes and hadn't had a coffee yet. She was ready to give up and sit down like a stubborn child, arms crossed and pouting. Leaning against a tree she bent down to adjust her sock the irritation growing when she had seen the bottoms had become a dark brown and heavy with some of the moisture they had absorbed along the way.

Tony was going to pay big time.

Just as this thought passed through her mind something shifted and she turned her head towards it. A dark figure stood farther ahead and she could only make out his shadowed outlined that was distorted from the shadows of the trees.

Marina moved forward quickly a smile spread across her face as relief flooded her body warming her from the inside out. She moved noisily her feet landing heavily over twigs and fallen branches, crunching over fallen, dead leaves unaware of anything amiss.

It was only when she had gotten closer that she faltered. Tony was wearing something on his head, a wide, pointed hat that had the hair on the back of her neck stand on end.

Something was wrong.

The longer she studied the figure the more she knew that this was not Tony. He was too tall, too broad and wide. Even though Tony worked out she would know him anywhere and too much didn't add up.

Alarm bells went off in her mind and she took a slow step backwards keeping quiet as she tried to get away from the stranger. She was torn between asking him for help to trying to get away from the possible serial killer.

She must not have been quiet enough as she saw the figure turn his head slightly and then loom before her in an instant. Taken by surprise by his speed Marina had fallen back landing on the soft earth, twigs and small rocks pressing painfully into the palms of her hands as she stared at the man in semi shock and horror.

He was big, broad and intimidating. His clothing was mainly white, a blue strip of cloth going over each shoulder to meet down the center of his chest, gold buttons glimmering in the sunlight. This was all she managed to take in along with what she remembered as a Chinese straw hat on his head. What distracted her was his eyes.

They were terrifying.

All white to the point they seemed to glow, they dominated his face and drew all the attention away from his other features. He stared down at her not saying a word and it felt as if she had been sucker punched, all air had left her lungs and her heart rate had kicked up.

What the hell was going on?

They continued their stare down until sense made its way back into Marina's brain and she began to scrambled backwards, using her heels to help propel herself away from him.

"Who are you?" he asked in a deep, calm voice as if every word had been carefully measured before speaking.

Marina didn't reply, only continued to move back too scared to tear her eyes away from him. He knelt down on one knee, his forearm resting over his raised knee continuing to stare at her.

"There is no need to be afraid. I will not hurt you, you are not in danger."

Disagreements ran rampant through her mind, yes, there was a need to be afraid the Terminator dressed as a China man was standing before her and pretending that it was alright. None of this was alright.

"I am Raiden, what may I call you?" again his voice betrayed nothing remaining neutral.

Marina finally had the sense to pick herself up and try to run but the man had quickly grabbed hold of her forearm, moving her so she was back to facing him.

"Let me go! I'll scream!" and true to her word and without waiting for a response she let out a loud howl all the while trying to jerk away from the man's iron grip.

The man, Raiden, grabbed hold of her other arm trying to keep her in place as she resembled a wild animal desperate to get away.

"Calm yourself. I will not hurt you."

"Please let me go! I don't have anything! Please!"

Raiden gave her arms a quick shake causing her body to follow suit making her quiet though she could feel tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

"Be still, good." he crooned calmly loosening his grip slightly on her arms but not letting go. "Now calm yourself. Take a deep breath and release it." she did as she was told only because it seemed to keep him calm as well, her exhale shook with the bundle of nerves that now resided within in her.

"Good, good. As I said I am Raiden who are you?"

"Marina," the name fell from her lips almost as a whisper, she wanted to get away from whatever the hell he was.

"Marina it is a pleasure to meet you. Are you hurt at all?" she shook her head no and he seemed pleased with her answer. "How did you come to be here?"

"I woke up here, in a field somewhere back there. I don't know how but I'm pretty sure my brother and his friends did this as a sick way to get back at me for all the crap I've done to them." belatedly she realized she was babbling and smacked her lips closed.

He continued to watch her, if he could even do that with his eyes the way they were.

"Now I will release you but you must promise not to run away. I will help you and may I remind you that there is no one else here. I am your only chance at leaving this place."

Marina looked about her as if to confirm that this statement was true and stared back at the man in front of her weighing her options. There was no one else around and if he had wanted to hurt her he would of done so by now.

"My home is not too far from here. There is food, water, clean clothing."

She didn't want to trust him, didn't want his help but didn't have much choice at this point. It was either go with him or stay behind in bum fuck nowhere.

"Okay. But I want to hold onto that stick while I'm with you."

Raiden's eyes went to the thick branch on the ground that must have fallen during some storm. It was roughly the size of a baseball bat and he assumed that she wanted it in the case that he decided to attack her. Little did she know a mere branch wouldn't be able to help her. But he agreed nonetheless if it made her feel more at ease so be it.

Marina cautiously moved over to it, never turning her back to him and then holding onto her new found weapon in front of her like a shield she nodded for him to lead the way. She saw him hesitate for a moment as if he was about to ask her a question but decided against it, Marina gripped her stick tighter.

"We will walk then." and he turned and began moving away from her and she briefly wondered at his tone, there was no other option but to walk so why did it sound as if he had made a choice in the matter?

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Raiden didn't try to speak to her and she was grateful for it yet uncomfortable with the silence at the same time. She had never been in this situation before and it seemed every option she had there were four others she had to consider.

He didn't walk too fast but at a steady pace that allowed her shorter legs to keep up with, being 5',3" hadn't gifted her with sexy long legs unfortunately. Then again it was the curse of European women and she had a double whammy as her father was Greek and her mother Italian.

Being such she had the common Mediterranean colouring; her hair was a dark chestnut colour, thick and wavy reaching about an inch from her elbows. She had also inherited her grandmothers pale green eyes which many of her cousins had as well.

At the moment her hair was up in a messy bun at the very top of her head, which she could feel had began to slip sideways. She had fallen asleep with her makeup on last night, too tired from a birthday party she had attended the night before, and could feel her dried mascara grain like under her lower lids. Her brother's dark grey sweat pants had served as pajamas along with one of his baggy long sleeves.

Being short had made her the butt of many jokes but thankfully she had just enough curves as to not be mistaken for a ten year old boy. She liked to think of her body as kardashian-esque, even though she thought that they were personally a bunch of idiots she had to give it to them for at least breaking the skinny mini mold out in society today.

She hated exercise and didn't diet, hell she didn't even own a scale. She judged her weight by the fit of her jeans - if she couldn't button them then there was a problem and it was time to cut back on the Ben and Jerry's. Last time she weighed herself had been roughly two years ago and she was a healthy 110...Okay, 128 but no one really needed to know.

However in this case going for regular walks would of at least helped keep the stitch in her side and the burning in her calves at bay longer. But Raiden never faltered, his steps were sure as he stepped over rocks, logs and other small obstacles.

Finally they reached a moss covered stone wall, tendrils of purple Morning Glory grew in patches clinging to anything it reached. As the wall game into view she saw that it served as a fence of sorts a heavy iron gate broke the stone to reveal a decent sized house that looked more like a cottage.

Raiden opened the gate passing through and leading her through a well maintained and beautiful garden. She found herself gazing about her in awe taking in all the colours, did he do all of this? Live alone in the middle of no where and garden all day? It made sense in a weird, twisted kind of way especially with eyes like that...

Marina came back to the present when he neared the door and she felt the familiar panic rise - she was about to enter his home and there would be no way out. He stepped in first, moving further into the room and Marina hesitantly followed leaving the door behind her open.

She was surprised to see the difference inside. Outside the house was old stone and was nothing really special to look at but inside the space was open and bright with neat, comfortable looking furniture. They had stepped into a sitting room, sofas and cushions filling the space while bookshelves lined the far wall. It definitely was not what she had been expecting.

"Do you have a phone I could use?" she sounded timid even to her own ears but she feared that if she sounded forceful it would trigger him to morph into another person and not be so accommodating.

"There is something that I need to speak with you about Marina, it is of great importance." Marina gripped the stick tighter.

But before he could speak a loud whoop filled the air before a loud slam, like that of a door smacking against a wall, sounded from the back of the house. Soon after an all too familiar face filled the room and Marina's mouth dropped open with her shock.

There to her right strode in Johnny Cage, millionaire A-list actor his trademark sunglasses on his face. He was shirtless, his 'Johnny' tattoo clear across his chest and he acted as if he wasn't out of place to be in this house, in the same room as her.

"Well look what Raiden's dragged in. How's it going sweetheart? Johnny Cage," he reached his hand out and she stupidly stared at it.

Johnny however seemed amused. "I don't bite. Much," his grin spread across his face and Marina slowly slipped her own hand into his not believing what was happening despite the firmness and realness of his grip.

"And your name sugar cakes?"

"Marina." it was like someone else had taken over her body and she was going along for the ride, watching as someone else controlled her mouth.

"Nice to meet you Marina." he stood back crossing his arms over his chest waiting for someone to pick up the conversation.

Raiden remained as he was and it was beginning to irritate her how emotionless he seemed to be, it unnerved her and mixing it with her sudden star struck-edness it was beginning to feel too overwhelming.

"Do you know where you are Marina?" he finally spoke and once again she was unsettled by his eyes.

"No, if I did I wouldn't feel this freaked out!"

"You are in Middlerealm, " he paused again as if this explained everything.

"Where? I've heard of Bay Crest Park and Ledgeview but I've never been to Middlerealm."

"Middlerealm isn't a park," Johnny cut in a slight smirk on his face, apparently he was familiar with those places as well. "Your eyes are gunna stay stuck that way if you keep staring like that, Bambi."

Belatedly she realized she was gaping at him again, eyes wide and all so she forced her face to relax.

"Middlerealm is the realm between all realms. It is a safe place for us to meet, train and if need be hide and stay protected. It is unknown to outsiders which is why it is odd for you to be here."

"Realms?" she said stupidly briefly thinking of the Science Channel.

"Yes. Between your world and others." Raiden was paitient, waiting for her to make sense of eveything.

"So I'm in another world that I just magically traveled to and there is a Johnny Cage lookalike walking around. Is Elvis here too?" she tossed her stick to the side no longer liking this game.

"Whats going on? Did Tony put you up to this? Tony!" she craned her head to look down a hallway. "Tony jokes over!" she marched up to Johnny no longer wide eyed and babbling.

"And who're you? One of Tony's friend?" she reached up a hand to his chest forcefully trying to rub away the "Johnny" tattoo expecting it to be no more than magic marker.

When none of it even smudged she took a step back looking confused.

"Alright now Bambi just take a deep breath," but it was too late she was stepping away from him a series of different emotions moving across her face.

"This doesn't make sense! Different realms? Freakin' glowing eyes?! Where am I?! Get me out of here now! Tony!"

She moved past the pair and down into the hallway desperately trying to find where her sibling was hiding hopefully listening to the conversation and laughing away. Instead the hallway remained empty and her pace increased.

"Tony!" the tightness in her chest had returned and the want to cry was strong but she bit it back concentrating on her one task.

A door at the end opened to reveal a tall, blonde haired woman in fitted cargo's and a cropped off shirt. She stared at Marina so hard, the warning so clear on her face that she took a step back only to bump into something. Turning she saw it was a someone and not a something; a man in mainly black clothing with a bit of blue, a mask on the lower part of his face only showing his blue eyes and black eyebrows.

She stepped around him thrown off by what she could only describe as a ninja get up, and went back into the main sitting room where Raiden and Johnny still stood along with another man.

This one was tall and dark skinned and seemed older. His hair was worn long and only a dark brown, open vest covered his bare chest. Now Marina had had it. There was an actor, a native guy, a ninja and Lara Croft cozied up together in a house in the middle of no where. No, sorry 'Middlerealm,' and she was supposed to go along with it.

"Okay," she said forcefully seeing from her peripheral vision the two people she had bumped into in the hallway. "What is going on." she could feel anger coursing throughout her body fueling her on.

"Be calm," the native man told her his voice smooth and resonating deeply.

"I want to know the truth right now." she could feel that her bun had slipped further, pieces of hair had fallen free and she was pretty sure she looked slightly insane.

"We are a group of protectors who are called together to keep the realms safe and in order." Raiden spoke. "it is through us that there is balance in your world along with the others."

"Okay,"

"The other realms do not know that Middlerealm exists, which is why we are curious how you came to be here."

Marina was beginning to feel exasperated. "I don't know. I told you I went to bed last night and woke up back there!" her hand flung towards the open door where the day continued shining on unaware of her foul mood. "I don't know why I'm here, how I got here, how to get back or anything!"

Raiden seemed to consider this for a moment. "Perhaps you were sent here by the Elder Gods to aid us."

"Excuse me? Aid you to do what?"

"Fight in Mortal Kombat."

"Fight?" she took a moment to look around the semi circle that had formed around her. "Fight? My idea of fighting is to throw a rock and run. I can't fight, why would I even have to?"

"To keep the balance. And I believe that you serve a purpose to us here." No one else spoke but she sensed that each were listening carefully, judging her silently.

"Take me home."

"I cannot."

"Please! I don't belong here, I just want to go home. Fine. I believe you and this crazy story, you're protectors on a mission that's great, thanks so much for keeping my world safe, now let me go back."

"No."

The word was not said unkindly but it filled Marina with despair. She sunk down onto the ottoman behind her burying her face in her hands, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes until colours burst in front of her vision.

"You will stay with us and train. Live among us until it is clear to me why you have been sent to us."

Marina lifted her head, not ready to accept any of this.

"I'll leave on my own then." she stood ready to prove her point and show that she was serious.

"Go then," the native man made a sweeping motion with his hand towards the door, just as she had done moments earlier. "But there is danger, and if you do not know how to fight as you say you do not, then you will die."

The last words sent a cold lump to settle into her stomach and her hand found her temple where she began to rub gently, a headache forming. Things like this happened only in movies, not to people like her. Even then her life was fine - she had both her parents who were still from what she knew happily married. She had her own place, paid her bills on time, had good credit, her life was fine.

There was no dramatic death in the family, no mysterious debts to be paid or even long lost relatives. These kind of things weren't supposed to happen to her.

"Sonya, please show Marina to a room." and with that Raiden turned to go, the darker man following behind him. They seemed the unspoken leaders.

The blonde from earlier moved forward gesturing with her hand to follow which she did. At this point what else could she do? She had seen for herself that there was nowhere to go and she was tired from the hours she had walked today anyway.

Sonya led her down the hall to a set of curved stairs she had briefly noticed earlier. They were made of a deep red wood and the spokes were intricately carved, looking up she noticed that it led up to a large space on the upper floor that was also lined with a railing in the same design.

Up here was also bright and lightly coloured, forcing a calm into you - or maybe it was just the fatigue from the day that had finally gotten to her. Sonya continued to lead, not speaking even as she stopped in front of a simple door, a replica of all the others that she had passed so far before turning the handle and stepping into the room.

The walls were a cream colour, a good sized bed was off to the right a thick, fluffy white quilt on the bed with two matching pillows was the only thing that adorned it. A tall dresser stood in a corner the panels of it also carved with a series of vines, leaves and small birds. In the opposite corner was a smell desk with what appeared to be an antique armchair. A small, plain fireplace stood across from the bed, void of any flames but the soot gave indication that it was actually used.

Directly in front of her were two floor length windows allowing sunlight to filter in. Sonya watched as Marina looked around her slowly. Usually she would of been excited to see such a pretty, fresh looking room but she wanted to be back in her own.

"It's a bit small but its one of the nicer rooms. Most of them are dark, but this one has great light."

Sonya tried to keep her voice light moving to the windows which with a slight pull actually revealed them to be doors leading to a small balcony.

"It's fine, thanks."

Sonya looked back at Marina and she was forced to take in the woman. Sonya was tall, with the long legs she envied on a dozen other woman. Her short top revealed a set of abs along with perfectly toned arms. The dark cargo pants had belts strapped onto the legs and again she was reminded of Lara Croft.

"I'm sorry that this happened to you." the apology made her look back to Sonya's face. She was a very pretty woman but looked like she spent a lot of her time being serious. "Once they figure out whats going on I'm sure everything will go back to normal."

Marina eyed her, noting that out of all of the people below with the exception of Johnny, she was the most normal looking of them all. "Did it for you?"

Sonya didn't reply.

"There's a bathroom through that door there. Its your own so you don't have to worry about anyone walking in on you. I'll try and see if I have any spare clothes for you."

Marina's gazed flicked over the woman's body once more and she seriously doubted it. Sonya was fit and tall. Marina was short and her hips seriously did not lie. She nodded despite her thoughts and moved into the bathroom where it was also white and bright.

She played with the handles of the shower opting for this instead of the large tub that sat in the middle of the space. With all this grime on her she didn't feel like swimming in it. She pulled off her socks, bunching them up to throw them away since they were well beyond saving and moved onto her bottoms. Her large, once white shirt went next as well as her undergarments.

The hot spray of the shower instantly eased some of the tension in her shoulders and she closed her eyes trying to clear her mind. She must've of stood there for well over fifteen minutes before she found it in her to move to wash herself.

There were series of oils and soaps on a ledge and she selected on working it into her skin, concentrating on getting clean and not the people downstairs.

An hour came and went before she had moved from the shower to wrap herself up in a towel and back into the bedroom. Neatly on the bed was some folded clothes and a hair brush. Hesitantly she pulled open the door of the dresser the inside of it revealing a tall mirror.

There she stood staring back at herself, her face unsmiling, hair damp and eyes red. She closed her eyes lightly breathing in deeply and releasing just as slowly, feeling the chill on her legs and shoulders from the water that still clung to her. Opening them again she still could see herself reflected in the mirror, still wrapped in a towel and in a bedroom that was not her own.

How was she supposed to get back?

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**So hoped you liked it. I love trying to get odd events and try to make them as believable as possible - ex. Sub-Zero's ability to freeze things. I love the challenge it presents. **

**Anyways, I figured since MK has Kitana, Sonya, Mileena and Jade who are all very fit smexy women, I would like to put someone in who was different. Sorry for the Kardashian reference - I personally am not a fan but you can't deny the fact that they do promote a healthier body outlook so I need to give brownie points for that. **

**Please tell me what you think! Love CC and am open to inserting idea's of snippets of what people would like to see. **

**Toodles! **

**-Spoony.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks to those who reviewed! I loved that you voiced your questions and concerns, I'm glad to answer any questions or clear anything up. I truly respect those reviewed the way that you guys did. Anyway please tell me if these chapters run too long and I can definitely break them up more for easier reading. **

**Enjoy!**

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Sighing Marina moved away from the mirror and to the bed where the clothes were, picking them up and examining them. She was doubtful but she was getting chilly so she tossed aside the towel working her way into the clothing.

Surprisingly they fit, but to Sonya's credit she had chosen a pair of stretch fit pants and an equally stretchy grey tank top. Her feet were bare as there weren't any shoes left for her but judging by Sonya's height they would have been too big anyway.

She brushed through her damp hair, using her fingers to comb through tougher tangles and let it hang loose to dry. Back in the bathroom she filled the tub with a bit of hot water, inhaling the steam that swirled up.

Dropping her dirty clothes into the tub she started to scrub them until her fingers began to hurt and the water turned murky, glad for the distraction the task gave her. Soaping them twice and rinsing them twice as much they came out better than she had hoped for though the white top had evidence of staining.

Oh well, at least it was clean and she had occupied some of her time. Wringing out the extra water she brought them out to the balcony spreading them with a wet plop onto the warm, stone rail for the sun to dry.

Inside the room she moved the chair from the desk and brought it out to the balcony as well where she sat heavily, bringing her knees up to her chest letting the sun warm her skin on her bare arms. She looked out and saw a stretch of green field broken by thick patches of forest and a large lake not too far from the house. But there wasn't any sign of any other building or roads anywhere.

She watched as flecks of sunlight bounced off the rippled surface of the water her thoughts stumbling over one another. She had no idea what time it was. It had felt like late morning when she woken up and not having her phone with her she didn't know how long she had walked around.

Mix in that lovely talk she had with the men downstairs and the time spent getting herself cleaned up she could only assume that it was sometime in the afternoon by now. But now she was just mulling things over in her head, trying to process everything and form some kind of plan. None of it made sense to her but she knew that she needed to figure out how to get home, find a phone, computer, _something_.

And the fact that they said they were going to keep her here and train her? Had they _kidnapped_ her? She felt a flicker of panic at the thought but then remembered that she had woken up alone and only found Raiden much later after wandering around.

No they hadn't taken her, but believed she had been sent to them. Great, she had landed in the middle of a group of crazies. She didn't want to believe anything Raiden had said but seeing where she was and just how remote it seemed the probability that she was in '_Middlerealm_,' was high.

There could be no way anyone could transport her so far from home unless they had drugged her which seemed unrealistic, especially since she was just dumped in a field. She was so deep into her thoughts she hadn't heard Sonya come out to the balcony until she was in her line of vision.

"Sorry to interrupt. I brought you some tea." she seemed apologetic but proceeded on, holding out a white mug.

Marina smiled stiffly accepting the steaming mug from the other woman enjoying the warmth it emitted within her hands.

"How are you feeling?" Sonya leaned against the rail watching Marina with her own mug in her hands.

Marina shrugged a shoulder unsure of how to word her feelings. "Overwhelmed I guess. I really just want to get back home and have this day be over."

Marina straightened at a sudden thought.

"Do you have a phone I could use?"

Sonya shook her head as her blonde brows came together a regretful look on her face. "Sorry there aren't any here. None of that stuff works out here."

Marina sunk back deflated at this news, but Sonya brought the mug to her own lips before speaking once more.

"Listen, until Raiden knows whats going on you're stuck here. I can see that you're trying to work out a way to get out of here yourself but I'm telling you now, there's no point."

Marina didn't look at her but just sipped slowly ignoring how the hot liquid burned against her tongue.

"There's nothing else here but wilderness and this house. There's wild animals, no roads and no lights at night. We're the good guys, just figure this out with us and go from there."

"I really think you all have the wrong idea about me." Marina once again took in Sonya.

If they did fight as Raiden said they did than they needed someone like Sonya; fit, who looked like she took no bullshit and knew how to throw a punch. She did not fit this description. Sure she could yell with along with the best of her Italian uncles and make up inventive strings of curses that would make a grown man blush. She just didn't belong here with these people, she liked Starbucks, shoes and second day cold pizza while watching Criminal Minds re-runs.

That was who she was; clean-cut, no surprises and simple.

Sonya however was not fazed by this admission or even put off by Marina's clear incompetence and lack of knowledge in 'fighting'.

"Fair enough. If we do have it wrong Raiden will know and send you back."

"But how will Raiden know? Is he going to shake is magic eight ball and get the answer that way?"

Marina mentally scolded herself, she had the bad habit of becoming snippy and sarcastic when frustrated and today had to have been the most she'd had to date. Again Sonya didn't back off or reply with her own sarcastic comeback, instead said simply;

"He'll know."

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They spent the rest of the time in silence, Sonya eventually turning to watch the scenery as well. They finished their teas as Sonya glanced at her wrist telling her it was almost time for dinner and heading back into the bedroom. Marina hesitated not wanting to head back downstairs but knowing that she had to eventually - and her stomach was making it painfully aware of just how empty it was.

With a sigh Marina got up from her seat and followed behind Sonya's sure and confidant stride. The house was silent as they made their way down and only when they neared a room she hadn't entered yet at the back of the house could she hear muffled voices.

When she entered the spacious kitchen Johnny was the first to notice her though she had tried to hide herself for as long as possible behind Sonya. His face brightened and he leaned an arm casually over the back of his chair.

"Well, well." his eyes now free from his sunglasses trailed down her body slowly and purposely as if he wanted her to know just how much he appreciated what he saw.

"I had no idea you were hiding all that under the dirt and baggy clothes, Bambi." he sent her a grin and she noticed that the room had gone quiet.

The silence made her painfully aware they were all staring at her and that she must have been the subject of their earlier conversation. She stood beside Sonya awkwardly waiting for someone to do something. There were three new faces at the table; a large black man - both his arms were noticeably prosthesis under his white t-shirt, an Asian man with a wide-brimmed black hat and another ninja type but dressed completely in black.

They too must have noticed the awkwardness of the situation as Raiden asked her to take a seat. She did, leaving a chair between her and the native who was directly to the left of her, not comfortable being close to any of them.

"How are you feeling?" Raiden asked in his calm, cool voice at the head of the table.

"Better, but still want to get home." Raiden nodded in understanding.

"Understandably so. I hope you do not think us unkind, we merely wish to learn more of your appearance here. But enough of that for now," he waved a hand dismissively as if her being partly held captive was fine.

"We did not exactly begin properly earlier. You already know that I am Raiden, the man next to you is Night Wolf, Kung Lao, and Smoke." he had gestured to the men sitting along the same side of the table as her and her gaze flicked from one to another trying to take them all in.

Raiden motioned across from her where others were seated. "This is Jax, Sub-Zero and you are already acquainted with Johnny and Sonya."

They all seemed wary of her, with the exception of Johnny and Sonya no one else had shown any kind of welcome and that made her painfully self-conscious.

They wouldn't stop staring at her.

"Now, until it has been decided what your purpose here is we have a system in place. We all take part in chores; maintaining the house, cooking meals. You too will be part of this effective immediately. And you will train,"

Marina opened her mouth to protest but he raised his hand effectively silencing her.

"You will train as it is better to learn how to defend oneself than to remain idle and a target. I have chosen Sub-Zero to instruct you,"

Raiden seemed to not have discussed this prior with the masked man as he turned his head sharply to stare at him, then wordlessly turned back to stare at Marina. His eyes were direct and didn't hesitate, boring into her and making her feel even more uncomfortable. She only glanced at him briefly before turning back to Raiden.

However in that quick look she had taken note of just how large his arms were, along with his broad shoulders and though half his face was covered he didn't look like the kind of guy who took it easy on anyone.

_Him_? Raiden wanted this guy to teach her? He looked like he tossed boulders for fun, he was going to kill her accidentally for sure.

"Uh, no thank you." she shot them a disbelieving look. "Couldn't I just train with Sonya _if_ I even have to train at all?"

"No." Raiden showed more emotion this time, his voice sterner not allowing for further arguments. "You will train with Sub-Zero, he is one of our more skilled fighters. You will begin tomorrow morning, along with physical training you will also train your mind. Night Wolf has suggested meditations and has offered to aid you with that."

There were no words to describe how she felt about the matter. She reasoned that even if she did have them Raiden seemed set on this idea and arguing with a stranger, especially one with such unsettling eyes, was not appealing.

"Do you possess any special skills?"

This question caught her off guard and she was unsure what he was asking about specifically. So she just did what she did best - blurt nonsense.

"Well I went to school for business and management to help me out when I take over my parents restaurant which is where I work now. Waiting tables and cooking that kind of thing. Nothing really all that exciting"

"Wait," Johnny lurched forward his face serious. "You can cook?"

"Well yeah. I've been doing it since I was thirteen, cooking's in our blood."

"Thank God, Buddha and whoever else is up there." he returned his eyes back to her and another grin spread across his face. Seeing the confused look on her face he began to explain.

"We take turns making food and nobody here can cook to save their life. Its been disgusting, believe me."

The group mumbled unhappily either in agreement or offended that he had bashed their cooking skills.

"Well I can help out if you need me to, it's not really a big deal." she seemed unsure of what she was offering but before she could think too hard about it Johnny cut in once more.

"Great! Bambi, dinner's your call tonight. They've started this kind of stew thing but I'm pretty sure it will kill at least one of us, can you fix it?"

She made a gesture between a shrug and a stiff nod. Johnny clapped his hands together before getting up and reaching a hand across the table to drag her up with him.

"Lets do this then."

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Being in the kitchen was oddly therapeutic, even with _the_ Johnny Cage standing next to her his large hands chopping onions clumsily. This was familiar; crushing garlic with the side of her knife its strong scent making her think of her family, the heat from the stove, the sounds of the stew bubbling away. All of it was fiercely attached to a fond memory.

ingredients filled her mind pushing away most of her turbulent thoughts, and if they did happen to intrude she was quickly thinking of how much salt to add or if there was enough potatoes. The kitchen was soon thick with warmth and filled with the smell of good home cooking - even Johnny's endless talking fit at the moment.

Before she knew it she was slowly stirring the pot, eyeing the quantities of cabbage and potatoes, scrutinizing the small pieces of carrot bobbing about for flavour and colour. She stood on tip toe to get a better look, secretly pleased with how her creation had turned out.

"We're going to have to get you a step stool, Bambi." she grinned at Johnny slowly having become accustomed to his large presence in the smaller kitchen.

"I think it's done." she stood back and wiped her hands on a cloth as Johnny stepped up to the pot inhaling deeply.

"It smells done."

He helped her bring down bowls and showed her where the utensils were, loading up her arms and urging her to move away as he picked up the large pot. Everyone was still seated at the table curiosity etched on each face, as if none of them knew what to make of her.

Which was probably true since she didn't know what to make of any of this as well.

To say she was nervous as everyone spooned the stew into their bowls was an understatement. Usually she was confident in her skill, but back with these people the familiarity she had felt earlier and strength she had found in that was ebbing away making way for her nerves.

Surprised remarks on the smell followed once the lid was removed. Soon after compliments on its taste were flowing from most of them and she was smiling before she realized it. She had her mom to thank for teaching and the sudden thought of her mother brought back the tightness in her gut - but she pushed it away, she needed to concentrate on getting out of here not moping around like she was helpless.

She was going to get out of here one way or another.

Seconds were soon requested which prompted Johnny to proclaim that he had a hand in making this meal as he wiped the side of his bowl clean with a piece of bread. At least she could do something, sure it wasn't breaking someone's jaw but maybe she'd be able to hurt someone with some of her banana bread?

The lame joke that she told in her mind didn't even make her crack a grin, she was worried, she hadn't hit anybody in her life. Besides shoving a guy here or there who'd been grabby with his hands she had lived a punching free life - how in the hell was she supposed to help these guys who were double her size and looked like they belonged in the Marines?

She sat silently as Jax began retelling a story about a hacker and a disguise that mainly composed of sunglasses and a fake mustache as laughter filled the kitchen. Johnny added to the tale with dramatic examples while a couple of the others remained silent and merely listened on.

One of those that were silent was her new trainer who she found her eyes kept sliding to. She was curious, what was he supposed to teach her? He didn't look friendly, but neither did a couple of the others. But she wasn't so concerned with them - they weren't going to be the one to teach her anything. Maybe he was pissed that he had to babysit her now?

She took in the strength he clearly displayed, that they all did, but was impressed by the tensing and bunching of muscle in his arm when he moved it. These were people who were serious about taking care of their bodies.

Sometime during the meal he had taken the mask from his face to eat and she was slightly taken aback by his face. He was good-looking that was for sure. His jaw was square and his lips were fuller than she had expected. She noticed a thin scar running from his right eye down onto his cheek curving slightly as the skin on the end of the scar puckered up slightly.

As if sensing her, Sub-Zero's eyes slid over to her catching her as she stared. Belatedly she looked away at Jax, not even sure what he was talking about anymore. God, if she was scared of him before she had no idea how she was going to face him tomorrow.

She could see from the side of her vision that he continued to stare her down as well as if giving her a taste of her own medicine, before almost lazily looking to Night Wolf who had begun talking now.

God help her, he hadn't said a single word to her but that one look told her instantly that he was a man accustomed to being listened to and that he didn't like being tested.

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Marina had been held back from cleaning up as she had made the meal, instead she stayed seated for a bit, sitting on her hands and biting her lip worriedly. A glance out the window showed that the sky was almost dark with the approaching evening.

She hadn't expected to be here this long but regardless there was nothing she could do now. Instead she slipped away silently while most were busy working or deep in conversation and made her way back up the stairs into her room. Slowly she closed the door behind her being careful to keep it from clicking and headed back out to the balcony.

The clothing was dry and she brought them in, stripping off her borrowed clothes as she walked. As much as she preferred to have had her clothes machine washed she wanted to be in something from home. Folding the clothes on the floor she set them onto the desk for tomorrow, a thought that made her tired just thinking about it.

Crawling onto the bed she grabbed the second pillow hugging it to herself, and curling around it. Maybe when she woke up tomorrow she'd be back in her own bed, the thought made her eyes fly open. Maybe that's how this worked? If she fell asleep maybe it would trigger some cosmic, voodoo, hippie magic and she'd be back home?

Resolving that this was her best, and really only plan, she shut her eyes finding sleep a lot sooner than she thought she would.

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Raiden was in the small library, books and scrolls littered the two desks within the room as he searched for answers. Never before had something like this happened, at least not that he could recall. He had been sent visions of their champions, or had sensed when a possible warrior was near but he had felt nothing around the young woman.

The brief thought that she had been sent as a spy from either Outworld or the Netherrealm had passed through his mind but the idea soon left him. He sensed nothing from her, no hidden power, no darkness and he did not feel any danger from her.

She had seemed genuinely confused and afraid, but it still did not explain why she was here. He had moved his search here soon after bringing her to the house, going through numerous volumes, reading the ancient scrolls, discussing endlessly with Night Wolf. However without knowing her purpose here he did not know even where to begin to look.

Tomorrow he would seek out the Elder Gods for more knowledge on this mysterious girl, as of right now Night Wolf was speaking with his spirits confirming that there truly was no deception.

Footsteps brought him out of his thoughts and he turned to see Sub-Zero standing within the door frame, he had been expecting this conversation even before he had told Marina of his choice in mentor.

"May we speak Raiden," Raiden nodded setting down the thick brown book he had in hands, eyeing the younger man expectantly.

"I think this is a mistake."

He had expected Sub-Zero to be direct as he was not the kind of man to dance about a subject, but the slight accusation in his voice gave him pause.

"Really? How so?"

Sub-Zero moved slowly, his steps heavy as he glanced at the book littered desks "I don't think we should teach her anything until we know why she's here. And even then, I don't think that I should be the one to do it."

"Do you question my decision?" there was a slight edge to Raiden's voice and he watched as the warrior in front of him visibly tensed in response.

"No, but she has shown her distaste and I have no desire to teach those who don't wish to learn." he had fisted his hands as if the idea angered him.

"Well then, it will be a lesson to both of you. It will show her how to survive and you to try and test your patience."

"What is the point of this?" Sub-Zero questioned, moving further into the room. "You don't even know why she's been sent here, we should send her back and once we know that, we can send for her. There is no sense in exhausting ourselves to teach her if we don't need to."

"My friend," Raiden moved to stand in front of Sub-Zero understanding his apparent frustration but not changing his mind. This was a good fit, even if Sub-Zero could not see it yet.

"No one is brought here unless they are needed." Raiden continued, his hand grasping the younger man's shoulder before releasing it and picking up the book once more.

"You will teach her all she is able to learn. If she refuses persuade her in any way you need to, but attempt to teach nonetheless. It could mean the difference between victory and defeat."

Though his face was covered, Raiden could almost sense his jaw clenching, biting back words he wished to say. Instead he bowed his head slightly and made his way out of the room, his steps clipped with Raiden watching him as he went.

He prayed that he was making the right choices.

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**There you go! I really hope Marina's reactions seems realistic. I think if anyone ended up in the same room as a celebrity they'd be star struck as well. Also I want her to seem like a normal, everyday person who likes Starbucks, t.v shows - not a warrior type who listens to everyone off the bat and do what shes told.**

**CC's are welcome and reviews make me happy! **


	3. Chapter 3

For the non-Canadians out there, running shoes are sneakers

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Marina pointed her toes out in a stretch, relishing in the delicious feeling of the small pops in her joints as she did so. Sleepily she opened her eyes to look out the window, smiling slightly that she had woken up inside today and confused by her strange dream.

Dream...

Sleep left her immediately as she sat up, her eyes fixed on the window. It wasn't her window. She looked around her and found she was still in the room she had fallen asleep in the night before. How was this possible?! She plopped back onto the bed spread eagle, staring at the ceiling running her hands over her face.

She was still here and there was nothing she could do about it. Soon too she'd have to start her training and then,-

Oh God, her training was today.

Marina scrambled from the bed pulling off her clothes not caring to pick them up as she hopped on one leg to pull on her pants. She had a feeling her new 'trainer' didn't like to be kept waiting. Looking down at her bare feet, she wondered what their solution would be to that particular problem, it's not like she could do much of anything barefoot.

Quickly she ran a brush through her hair wincing as it pulled on knots that had formed during the night. Without making her bed or picking up after herself she headed out into the hallway, relieved that everything was silent and it appeared that everyone was still asleep. She didn't have a rational reason why she was so scared of him, but she'd rather not find out the hard way.

It was still early, maybe even early enough that she could grab a quick bite and gather some courage. Padding into the kitchen she paused seeing that she wasn't alone. Jax stood leaning against a counter stirring a steaming mug slowly. He looked up at her when she entered and offered her a half-smile.

Giving him her own half-hearted one in return she moved around him to grab her own mug, opening cabinets in search of a particular jar.

"If you're looking for coffee best give up now." the dark man chuckled slightly but it was not an amused sound.

"What are you drinking then?"

"Good ole tea." he said it in such a way that led Marina to believe that he didn't think it was so good.

"Tea? Really?"

"Mhmm," he took a sip as Marina poured herself a cup mentally grumbling at the injustice of not having a good cup of coffee in the morning.

Hell she'd settle for a bad cup of coffee.

They stood in silence, Marina blowing on the steam watching the way it curled in the air before disappearing altogether.

"You ready for today?" he asked conversationally and she pulled a face.

"No, especially not without coffee. Today is going to suck." she must've sounded amusing because he chuckled once more.

"I hear you on that one."

The silence settled over them once more and Marina thought about home once again. She wasn't supposed to be working today so no one would really notice her absence. She also lived close enough to her parents and brother that they didn't call each other every day.

What were they going to think when she didn't show up for work? Tony would head over to her place and use his key to get in and see her apartment the way she had left it. Who knew how long it would take her to get back, better yet what was she going to tell them when she did?

Jax cleared his throat then pulling her from her musings and she turned to look at him, noting how well he moved with his prosthetics.

"Aren't you late?" this had her standing straighter.

"What do you mean?"

"He's been waiting for you for a while I think."

"_What?!_"

"Out back, I'd hurry if I were you."

Nearly slamming the mug down Marina shuffled out of the kitchen and out to where the back garden was. Again she passed no one on her way and she had a small hope that maybe Jax was wrong.

Opening the back door and squinting against the bright morning light she took a moment to adjust to the assault on her eyes. When her vision finally did so, her heart sank. He was a few yards away watching the door with his arms crossed over his chest and his feet planted firmly apart. Even in broad daylight he was a menacing sight, someone she would never get close to and annoyance was clearly coursing through him.

Shit.

It took her a second to gather her courage before making her way across the grass, the blades slightly wet from dew that had appeared sometime overnight. Once she was a few feet from him she paused watching him as silently as he was watching her.

His blue eyes were intense and focused on her, his arms continued to be crossed over his chest and he said nothing. When the silence stretched a bit too long Marina smacked her hands together rocking on her heels.

"So-,"

"You're late." he said simply and she was irritated that he had actually waited for her to speak before deliberately cutting her off. "You will come here every morning, and you won't be late."

He turned away from her and she felt her irritation grow.

"You didn't exactly give me a time yesterday. And I'm not even doing this willingly, I'm pretty sure this breaks about a dozen laws by the way." He didn't even flinch as he adjusted what she could only describe as fingerless gloves, flexing his hand after to test it.

"So we're doing this here? I don't have any shoes." Sub-Zero turned back around and looked down at her brightly painted toes.

She tried tucking them away from his view noticing his questioning stare when he looked back at her. Without a word he picked up a sack and dropped it at her feet, then handed her a pair of black running shoes.

"Where did you get these?" she asked puzzled but he didn't offer an answer.

Instead she sat down on a smooth rock and found a pair of socks nestled in one of the shoes proceeding to slip them on before her shoes, tying the laces with shaky fingers. This was still too much for her to process.

"Listen, I really don't think I should be doing this." she stood up wiping the back side of her pants from any dirt. "Like I said; I can't fight and I don't want to. So lets tell Raiden- he may have changed his mind."

Sub-Zero began a series of stretches beginning with his arms, rolling his neck to loosen it or to rid himself of any knots, she wasn't sure. When he didn't reply she pressed on ignoring that he now had his back to her.

"We both have better things to do and I don't believe in fighting - I like peace."

This triggered a reaction. He turned sharply to her, moving forward the few steps literally invading her space and appearing to loom over her especially with the height difference.

"Then excuse me while I fight so that you can have your peace."

Marina took a step back unable to remain in such close proximity to him with the barely contained anger he emitted. He reminded her a tightly wound wire, if stretched just a tiny bit more was bound to snap.

"Stretch,"and with that single word it began.

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To say he was a hard ass was one way to go about it. He showed her a series of 'proper' stretches as the ones she had learned in high school had not impressed him. He was not gentle with her, roughly pulling her arm higher, using his foot to slightly kick hers into the right position. Though she could not see most of his face, she could see his brows bunched together in a frown.

He stood before her with his arms crossed over his chest, barking almost single word sentences; yes, no, lean further, use core strength, again.

There was a good amount of time spent on showing her how to control her breathing and she went along with it, thinking the entire time how stupid all of this was and how stupid she must look.

The sun was beating down harshly on them by the time he had begun to show her how to place herself to deliver proper hits. The tops of her shoulders were feeling burnt and a few wisps of hair that had escaped her ponytail and were now sticking against her face. Beads of sweat rolled down the back of her neck and between her shoulder blades before being absorbed by the fabric of her shirt.

Nearly an hour of him not satisfied with barely anything she had done she finally dropped her arms and stood back having had enough of him barking orders at her. They had literally spent three hours before this doing _nothing._ She had lifted her arms, made a fist, slowly moved through a proper punch then back to positioning her feet, only to be forced to stop to breathe 'properly' once more. The worst part of it was that she was beginning to feel worn out.

"This is a waste of time!" she finally exploded one hand pulling back the hair that had plastered itself to her forehead. "What are we even doing?"

Without a sound, without giving her even a second to acknowledge just how quickly he had moved. He had one of her arms almost painfully pinned behind her in his strong grasp, his other arm firmly around her neck leaving just enough room to breathe.

"Dead." he said simply by her ear before whirling her around and pushing her onto the ground where he was in a crouch beside her in an instant, one large hand wrapped firmly around her throat, his other grasping both her wrists over her head.

"Very dead." he stayed where he was for a moment glaring down at her.

The next moment he was gone and Marina scrambled away, caught between shock and horror by how quick he was and just how easily it was for one person to hurt another. Let alone end their life.

"And how am I supposed to stay alive when all you're teaching me is to breathe?" she stood up shaky legs, her stance slightly defensive if he decided to surprise her again. "I've been able to do that on my for years now, thanks."

"You cannot rush things, you must begin at the beginning." Marina rolled her eyes at him this was beginning to sound like a very cheesy version of The Karate Kid.

"And what does breathing and standing have to do with throwing a punch?"

He moved next to her once more, his brows knitted together in what she could only assume as a frown and took hold of her arm. Extending it he closed his hand over hers making a fist, moving from there he squared her shoulders, kicked at her foot slightly again to widen her stance.

"The difference between a punch and an efficient punch is all in how you deliver it. Which goes back to your stance and breathing." He mimicked her position beside her and swiftly yet slowly demonstrated the motions of a punch. "You either break their jaw of your hand."

"This has nothing to do with me getting home."

"I'm not here to get you home. I'm here as a favour to Raiden."

"Great. I think I'm done. Thanks _so_ much for your help." the sarcasm was thick in her voice as she turned on her heel and made her way across the grass.

"I'm not finished with you." he said coldly, but ignoring the voice in her head telling her it was a back idea to provoke him she threw him a dirty look over her shoulder.

"Well I'm finished with you. See ya." and continued to make her way back.

For a quick, scary moment she thought that he would follow her, even possibly use force to bring her back but he didn't. She was tempted to look back to see what he was doing, but she tossed that idea. Who did he think he was anyway? Ordering her around and acting like a grade A jackass.

Slamming the door behind her she drew the stares of the few people within the house, but she moved passed them only to have her arm caught by Johnny.

"Hey Bambi what's up?" he seemed concerned but she pulled away from his grasp, his face beginning to show signs of confusion.

"Bring me back now. Right now. You guys brought me here, take me back now." her exhaustion from training mixed with her irritation with the man who was her mentor only fueled her tirade.

"You know we can't do that." Jax had come to stand next to Johnny making the room feel smaller as more people filled it, drawn in by her yelling.

"Yes you can. I want to go home, do it now."

"Bambi, calm down."

"Don't tell me to calm down!" she was beginning to feel light-headed, her breathing had increased and she could feel her heart beating heavily against her chest as if it wanted to escape its confines.

There was a trembling beginning in her hands and she fisted them to stop the feeling.

"Take me home!" her throat felt like it was closing in, like when you tried not to cry and it begins to tighten. But with her increased breathing and lack of room for the air to enter she could feel herself hyperventilating. A tightness began to form in her chest, as if someone was squeezing inside slowly.

"Marina," Sonya began but never got to finish as Marina's hand found a lone book laying atop a table.

Without thought, or even an explanation as to why she thought this was a good idea Marina flung the book without seeing what her target was. The sound of glass shattering broke her from her fit as a tense stillness followed.

Realization, cold and quick slammed into her and immediate guilt and confusion welled within. What was she doing? She had literally thrown a fit, a grown woman who had never done anything remotely close to this in her life, had gone off the handle.

She stared at the broken window in shock, couldn't believe the broken pieces on the worn, wooden floor. embarrassment filled her next and her hand moved over her mouth as if to conceal her dread. She could feel the remnants of tears over her cheeks, could feel the beginnings of sobs forming in her chest.

"What has happened?" Raiden's voice broke the silence and she turned in time to see that the room was filled with people, all of them staring at her with blanks faces or looks of shock.

Before she could answer her forearm was grasped tightly and she felt herself being pulled, stumbling slightly from the surprise and momentum of it. Sub-Zero was once again in her space, his eyes angry as he stared down at her, fingers tightening uncomfortably around her arm.

"I'm sorry." she turned to look at Raiden whose face was once again unreadable. "I didn't mean -, I'm not feeling well. I-,"

She looked about her for an answer her free hand moving over the side of her head where a dull ache had begun. So many different thoughts and emotions were fighting for dominance in her mind that it didn't allow for her to concentrate.

"Sub-Zero, that is enough." Raiden said softly but her mentor continued to stare her down, tightening his hand a bit more before releasing it but never removing himself from her space.

"I'm sorry. I don't know what's wrong with me." Raiden put his hand on her shoulder and shook his head but no smile formed on his face.

"Nothing is wrong with you, the window is easily fixed. Go and rest." he gently urged her towards the stairs where Sonya moved to her, wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

She barely knew the woman but the reassuring gesture was welcomed and she was guided up the steps. All she wanted was for everything to go back to the way it was.

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Back down below the group of men remained silent, unaccustomed to such displays of womanly emotion. Sonya was always cool and calm, hiding her feelings from everyone so no one was sure of how to respond to the outburst.

Johnny glanced about him, seeing the usual discomfort on most men's faces whenever a woman cried.

"What was that all about." he looked over at Sub-Zero whose glare was now directed at him.

"She is overwhelmed, it is to be expected." Raiden spoke up hoping to stop any arguments.

"She is stubborn and does not show any skill for combat." Sub-Zero cut in.

"You expected otherwise?" Raiden replied, his tone suggesting that this was a stupid statement to make.

"From someone who is supposed to help is in Mortal Kombat, yes. One would expect for the girl to have some type of skill or even ability."

"I sense nothing from her." Raiden seemed to think to himself for a moment. "I will speak with the Elder gods. Leave her be for today and once I return we shall decide our next course of action."

And with that he stepped back, allowing the blinding flash to surround him, the familiar sparks of electricity and warmth running over his skin before he was gone. He knew he had reached his destination by the smell.

This place always smelled of earth after it had rained. It was a tranquil smell though he doubted there was any weather here and he hadn't thought it pertinent to ask. The air was warm and still, the silence peaceful and not dominating.

He began the walk to the pillars ahead of him, his boots finding the dirt path easily until he reached the flat, intricately painted floor atop the mountain they were on. Tall pillars that surrounded the space were tall and beautifully detailed linked to one another through arches.

Behind them the peaks of mountains could be seen through low, slow moving clouds. The ground that had been designed as their meeting area was painted a deep blue, grey and gold - intertwined loops in the outer edge then a starburst design in the center, were a lone circle was painted.

Raiden took his place in the center, taking a moment to glance about him, breathe in the tranquility. There would be little rest or peace in the months to come so this was a welcome distraction no matter how brief.

"I have come seeking guidance."

Raiden spoke to the air, his voice reverberating in a way it shouldn't in such an open space. He blinked and in that time four large apparitions had circled him, from their torso's the rest of their bodies seemingly emerging from the painted floor.

They stared ahead and not at him before in perfect synchronization they lowered their heads to watch him, the tops of their heads reaching above the stone pillars.

"What is it that you need from us." They spoke as one, their voices mingling in a way that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.

"A woman has appeared in Middlerealm. She is young and claims to know nothing of this world. My visions have revealed nothing of her purpose here nor how she is to assist us if she is to fight with us."

"She knows not of this world, though she is meant to aid in the fight in the war against Earthrealm." they spoke as one again

"How can she? She has never fought, has had no training before today and shows no promise of improving."

"She will. It is her fate to aid you."

"Has she any hidden abilities that I have not been able to detect?" he craned his neck to stare at them, their faces void of any emotion.

Raiden knew that these were not their true forms but merely a shell in order for there to be communication with them, but the lack of feeling was unsettling.

"She has not." they said shortly which only further confused him.

"I do not understand. She has had no previous training, no abilities and yet she is to aid us? This does not make sense."

"In order for Earthrealm to survive she must stay and fight alongside your men."

"But,"

Raiden was very rarely without words but he found himself frantically grasping for some to communicate his confusion.

"Mortal Kombat is less than a year away, how is she to prepare herself in that time? The others have been training for most, if not their entire lives. It is a sure death for her if she is to join us."

"We make no mistake." they responded coldly. "She is to fight with you or Earthrealm shall be lost. Train her well, guide her she requires as much assistance as you can give."

"Why have I not been sent any visions of this. This is a terrible burden." he knew not to argue with the Elder Gods but he had never in all his years been sent a fighter so lacking. He had no idea where to begin.

"You were not meant to receive visions of her, they shall come to you in time."

Raiden nodded before bowing to the gods, lifting his head to reveal that they had gone just as silently as they had appeared. Preparing to return home, he found himself filled with more questions than answers.

What did the gods expect him to do with the girl? No amount of training would ready her in time for the deadliest battle of their time. He was then filled with a sense of guilt, he had the overwhelming feeling that sending her to fight would guarantee her death.

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**Well thats that, I like how its shaping up. Please let me know how you all feel about the progression and believable-ness of it all. Or what you don't like. Whatever floats your boat. Reviews feed the inspiration ;)**


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